Serhiy Shcherbakov

Sergei Gennadiyevich Scherbakov (, , Serhiy Hennadiyovych Shcherbakov; born 15 August 1971) is a Ukrainian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

In Portuguese media and some FIFA sources, the footballer is also known as Serguei Cherbakov. In Portugal Scherbakov was known as a Russian footballer despite the fact of playing for Ukraine.

Career A native of Bryansk, a city near the border with Ukraine, Sergei was born in a sports family where his father was a footballer for Soviet Novator Mariupol playing as a central defender, while mother of Sergei was a gymnast. As an athlete, he was brought up by youth coaches of Shakhtar and soon made his way to the main squad, already at his 17 he played his first game. Shcherbakov went to a pub used by the Russian community, stayed until early hours and then shot a set of traffic lights. His car was hit side on. Had he been wearing the seat belt, the injuries would have been minor. The Resident newspaper also reported that he had been "over the legal alcohol limit" at the time and had jumped a red light. The accident fractured Shcherbakov's skull and his spinal column in three places. During rehabilitation he vowed he would once again don the Sporting jersey on the pitch someday, but he never regained use of his legs. After the crash, Sir Bobby Robson said that had the crash not happened, Shcherbakov would have gone on to become one of the best midfielders in Europe. He was only 22.

Later life Shcherbakov works with several football-related charities, such as the Federation of Football that unites football lovers that have cerebral paralysis, as well as a youth scout, and lives in Moscow.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Soviet Union U18 UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1990

Individual FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Boot: 1991